Tuesday, September 22, 2009

If you’re looking for a blogging role model, you can’t do much better than Jen Yates. From her humble beginnings as a “Jungle Cruise skipper” and “cash office accountant” in Florida (I’m pretty sure those titles are euphemisms for “drug mule”), she’s ascended to the lofty and exclusive rank of successful professional blogger.

And what’s truly incredible about it is that her site isn’t built on intellectual property theft, she doesn’t owe her success to shady link exchanges or Digg manipulations, and she isn’t one of the people who got popular largely by being first on the web. No, she found a niche, and through consistent effort and a good sense of humor, managed to become an award winning blogger with a huge and enthusiastic readership.

Of course, finding the niche is often the trick, and Jen’s origin story is a good one. She ordered a wedding cake in her own likeness, and was thrilled with the result:

When her husband John informed her that the cake was actually heinous, and would quite likely ruin their wedding, Jen was briefly shattered. But she pulled herself together, and dedicated her life to walking the Earth and finding the worst cakes out there. Her husband can be regularly found at Cake Wrecks, helping her on her quest.**

Now, Jen has a book out based on her site. And it’s good! Hard cover, photos of 150 hard-to-believe-they’re-real cakes, plus Jen’s witty commentary. $10 at Amazon. If you’re familiar with Cake Wrecks, then I don’t need to say anymore. And if you’re not familiar, go visit and put a smile on your face. The book will make a perfect holiday gift, and I’m sure we’ll all be hearing much more about it thanks to the clever contest that will be part of the book tour - - Jen has invited people to bring cupcake wrecks to her appearances.

So, congratulations on another victory Jen. I think your days as a cash office accountant are firmly behind you.